Couplers for toy railroad vehicles



Jan. 12, 1960 J. L. BONANNO COUPLERS FOR TOY RAILROAD VEHICLES Filed Sept. 19, 1955 INVENTOR Jose/w (.Bwmmvo BY 7% 5/6 ATTORNEY HII; 26

United States PatentO 2,920,770 COUPLERS FOR TOY RAILROAD VEHICLES Joseph L. Bonanno, South Orange, NJ assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application September 19, 1955, Serial No. 535,048

6 Claims. Cl. 213-109 rails when the truck passes from curved track to straight track or vice versa. When, however, as in'toy locomotives, the truck is long and the coupler head has to be a substantial distance from the truck proper, the coupler head could normally have such a wide swing out of this median position between the rails as to derail the car when approaching or leaving curved track.

The present invention relates to couplers adapted more especially for use on locomotives and to automatically cooperate with couplers of the above enumerated patents and to be uncoupled from them by remote control, preferably by a track carried magnet such as shown in the latter mentioned patent.

The present invention contemplates mounting the coupler head on an arm swingably supported from the truck so as to swing backand forth when necessary, and

the provisionof means for centralizing the coupler arm so that it is normally over the median line between the rails. v I The invention also contemplates that the latching arm be also pivoted to swing with the coupler arm and the employment of common spring means for centralizing the coupler arm and retaining the latching arm in latching position.

The accompanying drawings show for purposes of illustrating the present invention an embodiment in which the invention may take form together with a modification of certain parts, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting same.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the end of diesel type locomotive provided with the new coupling;

Figure 2 is a top plan view taken in the direction of arrow 2 of Figure 4 illustrating a fragment of the truck together with the coupler in various positions;

Figure 3 is an inverted plan view taken in the direction of the arrow 3 of Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4--4 of Figures 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is fragmentary sectional view on the line 55 of Figures 2 and 4 showing the knuckle latched closed;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the coupler arm shifted to an extreme position relative to the truck;

Figure 7 is an elevational view taken in the direction of the arrow 7 of Figure 6;

r 2,920,770 Ce Patented Jan. 12, 1960 Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the coupler arm;

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 4 il-' lustrating the relation of the coupler and truck with the track; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 4 illustrating a modified form of construction.

In the drawings, the body of a diesel type toy locomotive is indicated at 10 and one of the wheeled trucks at 11.

Thetruck includes a cast body member 15 which, as here shown, has a forwardly extending lug or ear 16 having a vertical opening 17 and two stop members 18-18 slightly to the rear of the axis 19 of the hole 17. Between the stops 18-18, the truck body is cut back, as indicated at 20, 'to accommodate the coupler arm to be described. The lower surface of the lug 16 is provided with ridges or knife edges 21 spaced to the right of the axis 19, or away from the coupler head, for purposes to be described.

The coupler arm 25 is mounted on top of the lug 16 and extends away from the truck body as indicated. The inner or pivoted end of the coupler arm 25 is apertured as indicated at 26 to loosely receive a vertical shaft or pin 27 which passes down through the hole 17. The upper surface of the coupler arm is excavated or cut out, as indicated at 28, and it is provided with two diametrically opposite V-shaped notches 2929. These notches are adapted to receive a cross pin 30 carried by the vertical pin 27. The notches are widened at the upper extremities as indicated at 29' so that the pin 30 can ride out of the \(-shaped notch and abut a vertical surface which exerts no camming action against the pin as will be described.

The free end 31 of the coupler arm 25 is generally U-shaped and has the usual fixed jaw member 32 and a movable knuckle 33 pivoted at 34 and biased to an open position by aspring 35. It has a vertical surface 36 engageable with a stop pin'37 to hold it in latched position and a camming surface 38 to shift the stop pin when the knuckle is returned from open position to latched position. The stop pin 37 is biased into engagement with the surface 38 and upon inward movement of the knuckle 33 is depressed downwardly until it passes the end of the inclined surface of the cam portion and falls down along the vertical surface 36 to hold the knuckle closed against the biasing of the spring 35. This knuckle coupler head and knuckle may be identical with that shown in my Patent No. 2,661,852 above referred to.

The latching pin 37 is carried on a latching arm 40,

apertured as indicated at 41, to receive the vertical shaft 27. The inner end of the latching member 41 is pressed against the knife edge elements 21 by coiled spring 42 carried about the shaft 27 and locked in place by a C washer 43 entering a groove 43'. The latching arm 40 carries an armature 44 adapted to be attracted downwardly when placed over a track magnet 45.

The downward pressure of the cross pin 30 due to the tendency of spring 42 to expand, will normally keep the pin 30 at the bottom of the V-shaped notches 29 and thereby keep the coupler bar or arm 25 centralized along an axis halfway between the wheel bearing rails, as shown in the full line position shown in Figure 2. The coupler arm may, as indicated, be swung either way from this central position at which time the V-shaped notchm will compel the cross pin 30 to rise and further compress spring 42. When negotiating curved and straight track, the pivoting of the coupler bar allows it to swing, as shown in Figure 6, so that a direct pull, or push, may be had without tendency to derail.

When the arm 25 is moved to the limiting position,

the cross pin 30 is in extensions 29' of the notches 29 so that there is no further tendency to compress the spring 42. In order to make certain that the coupler arm cannot be shifted too far in either direction, the pin 30 is brought into engagement with one or theot'her of the stops 18-18 formed in the truck body member '15. The use of two V-shaped notches wi'th a long pints "preferable to the use or a single notch with a shorte'r'pinand spaced stops to engage a shorter pin because with the construction shown, the parts are symrnetrical. When the locomotive, or other vehicle, carrying the coupler mechanism is brought in proper position above the track magnet 45, the energization of this track inagne't will attract the armature and lower the latching arm 'to release the knuckle. The knife edges -211 form 'fulcrum points eccentric to the axis 19 and about which the arm 49 rocks and owing to this location the spring 42 exerts most of its pressure again'stthe arm 40 ina direction to hold it in latching position. I

In the modified form of construction shown in Figure 10, the coupler rarm 25a and latching arm 40a are pivoted directly on the extension a of the truck body and independently of the vertical shaft 27d.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, I wish it to be understood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle coupler comprising a body member, a coupler arm pivoted adjacent its one end on said body member, a substantially U-shaped coupler aw member on the free end of said coupler arm, a knuckle pivotally mounted on said coupler head and swingable between an extending open position and a cross position substantially closing the knuckle head, means to bias said knuckle to an open position, a cam latching member connected to said knuckle at the pivotal connection thereof and movable therewith and having a cam surface on a horizontal face thereof, an actuating arm connected to said body member and having a portion biased into engagement with the cam surface of the cam latching member, said latching member including a substantially vertical wall portion which holds said arm when said knuckle is in a laterally extending closing position to latch said coupler, and means to move said actuating arm out of contact wtih said cam latching member to open said coupler.

2. A vehicle coupler according to claim 1 wherein said coupler arm is biased in an outwardly extending posi- .tion against lateral swingingjmovement.

3. A vehicle coupler according to claim 1 wherein said arm is an elongated member connected to said body member at the pivotal location of said coupler arm and includes an upstanding pin on its outer end which extends into contact with the cam surface of said latching member, a magnetic armature portion depending therefrom adapted to be attracted by a stationary electromagnetic device to move said pin out of contact with said latching member and effect opening of said coupler.

4. A vehicle coupler according to claim 1 wherein said coupler arm includes a radial hubbed portion surrounding its pivotal location, said radial hubbed portion being provided with two diametrically opopsed notched areas, a pin mounted in said base about which said coupler arm is pivotable, a cross member extending through said pin and riding on the hubbed portion of the coupler arm, and means to bias said pin downwardly when said cross member is in said recessed areas to bias said coupler arm toward a stationary outwardly extending position, said arm being rotatable laterally to either side by forcing said cross member out of said notches against the biasing of said pin.

5. A coupler arm construction comprising a mounting base, an upstanding pin mounted on said base, a conpler arm rotatably mounted on said pin and extending outwardly from said base, said coupler arm including an annular hubbed portion having at least two diametrically opposed recesses cut therein, a cross member extending through said pin and resting on thehubbed portion of said coupler arm, and means to bias said ,pin downwardly to urge said cross member downwardly in said recessed areas when said arm is positioned therein whereby to biassaid coupler arm toward a stationary outwardly extending position against lateral swinging movement thereof. 1

6. A coupler according to claim 5 wherein said cross member is a cylindrical bar and said hubbed portion recesses are substantially V-shaped having inclined side walls leading to the upper portion of said hubbed portion surface.

References Cited in the file .of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

